What To Know
- The trial of seven took place in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 5 and ended with a major death.
- The cast of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, including Bertie Carvel and Finn Bennett, explain the pivotal episode.
- The Season 1 finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on Sunday, February 22, on HBO.
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 5, “In the Name of the Mother.”]
Familial tragedy is commonplace in the world of Game of Thrones. Now, it has sadly arrived in A Knight of the Seven Kindoms. The trial of seven finally took place in Season 1 Episode 5 of the spinoff, which aired on Sunday, February 15, on HBO. It was full of gory violence and one major death that changes everything heading into next week’s finale. In the video above, the stars of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, including Bertie Carvel, Daniel Ings, Finn Bennett, and more, break down the pivotal penultimate episode.
Just like with the Red Wedding, George R.R. Martin‘s readers knew what was coming in this trial of seven and were dreading it. Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his six champions squared off against Prince Aerion Targaryen (Bennett) and his crew. It seemed like death was near for Dunk more than once in the fight, but he survived his major wounds. One fighter on his team, however, did not.
Prince Baelor Targaryen (Carvel), heir to the Iron Throne, fought on Dunk’s side and was accidentally killed by his brother, Maekar (Sam Spruell), Egg’s (Dexter Sol Ansell) father. At some point in the chaos, Maekar hit his older brother in the back of the head, striking a fatal blow. Baelor died in Dunk’s arms after Dunk begged him to let him be his knight, and Baelor had agreed. (“I need good men, Ser Duncan.”)
Baelor’s death at the hands of his brother is considered one of the most tragic events in Martin’s Westerosi history. The aftermath will be shown in next week’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finale, but Carvel tells TV Insider that Baelor felt no anger for his brother after the trial. That was clear in the scene, when Baelor asked for help taking off his helmet after the battle was over. He told Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) that Maekar was “strong” with an admiring tone.
Carvel says that Baelor “celebrates his brother’s strength,” noting that he “loves his brother and he’s excited by [his power], like when they were boys, and they would revel in their ability to wound one another.”
Baelor doesn’t blame Maekar for what transpires in Ashford, Carvel admits.
“There’s a fondness there and no blame,” Carvel explains. “This is what happens when you get into fights. Somebody gets hurt.”
“There’s no anger there,” he goes on. “He’s living on a higher plane than most of us mortals, this Baelor fellow. Anger doesn’t seem to be his default, which is why they’ll talk about him as a good king, I’m sure, or the king that never was. You’d like to believe, wouldn’t you, that our leaders don’t default to anger very easily. And he’s certainly a good example to leaders who might be out there. He’s cut from the right cloth.”
Baelor’s death changes everything for this generation of Targaryens, whose line of succession has just been altered. Watch the full video interview above for more insights into the trial of seven.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Season 1 Finale, Sunday, February 22, 10/9c, HBO